Alexander II Flashcards
when did alexander II come to power?
Mar 1855 at 36 years
what did alexander II’s father tell him on his deathbed?
“hold on to everything [autocracy]”; influenced autocratic actions
was alexander II a well-prepared tsar?
yes; well-trained by father, “best prepared heir the russian throne ever had” (lionel kochan)
what problems did alexander II face upon claiming the throne?
crimean war oct 1853 (or 1854) -feb 1856, objections to serfdom, peasant revolts
what was the crimean war about?
battle over rights of christian minorities in Holy Land between russia and britain, france, ottoman empire, and sardinia
why did russia lose the crimean war?
Communication
* only 60,000/1 million soldiers were summoned)
Industry
* backwards, unmodernized
Military
* poorly equipped, prone to disease, spread thin
Administration
* corrupt
why did the russian people object to serfdom?
Moral
* even Nicholas I said it was “evil”
Military
* unproductive, uneducated army
Modernization
* occupied potential industry workers, prevented educated population growth
Economic
* prevented enterprise and free movement
how many peasant revolts had there been from in the 1840s russia?
over 350 from 1844-45
who was alexander II assassinated by, and when?
Jewish Narodraya Volya of The People’s Will terrorist group in 1881
what were the aims for alexander II’s reforms?
- protect autocracy; “better to abolish serfdom from above than to wait for… it… to abolish itself from below” (alexander II, 1856)
- strengthen tsarist state
what were the obstacles to alexander II’s emancipation of serfs?
- noble hostility
- risk of anarchy and chaos, social structure upset
- lengthy considerations resulted in Emancipation Edict taking 5 years to form (Mar 1856-Feb 1861)
what did private serfs get out of the emancipation edict?
- minimum land allotments, but 75% were 20% smaller than old land, only 80% what is needed to feed peasant family
- 2-year transition period
what did state serfs get out of the emancipation edict?
- larger land allotments
- 5-year transition
what did house serfs get out of the emancipation edict?
- no land or transition period
what did all serfs get out of the emancipation edict?
- rights to own land, marry freely, start business, use courts of law
- had to pay “redemption dues” over 49 years with 6% interest so government could compensate landlords
what was the Mir?
self-governing community of peasants with elected officials; collected dues and taxes, controlled money, farming, and land
what was the peasants’ response to emancipation?
dissatisfied with moderate changes, felt unjust to pay for land they thought was theirs by right
who was prince kropotkin, and how did he think the peasants would respond to emancipation?
serf-owner and anarchist, thought would accept with “enthusiasm”
what was the nobles’ response to emancipation?
hated radical changes and losing status, felt betrayed they were not consulted
what were successes of the serfs’ emancipation?
- 40 million freed within a few years, radical social/economic change
- 85% serfs became landowners within 20 years
- pesant disturbances decreased in next 40 years
what were failures of the serfs’ emancipation?
- slow process because prioritized landowners
- land allotments too small and compensation too expensive
- decreased wealth/living for house serfs, who got no land
- mir gave land in narrow strips, prevented enterprise; no new class prosperous consumers
- industry still backwards
what legal reforms did alexander II implement?
- 1864: new independent judiciary system, well-paid judges, jury, public courts
what were the pros of alexander II’s legal reforms?
fair trials (“equal for all our subjects,” “the court-room was the 1 place in russia where real freedom of speech prevailed” (hugh seton-watson)), prevented bribery
what were the cons of alexander II’s legal reforms?
political trials were removed, secret police could still arrest opposition
what government reforms did alexander II implement?
- created local government zemstvo 1864 and urban assembly duma 1870, controlled public health, roads, agriculture, education
- zemstvo run by nobility, supported traditional government
what were the pros of alexander II’s government reforms?
way to control peasants, step towards democracy
what were the cons of alexander II’s government reforms?
police were controlled, zemstvo overruled by provisional government and lacked funding, vote weighted to landowners
who was alexander II’s minister of war?
dmitri milyutin
what military reforms did milyutin implement from 1874-75?
- decreased conscription to 6 years service, 9 years reserve, included nobles over 20 also
- abolished brutal punishments
what were the pros of milyutin’s reforms?
decreasing conscription made it not “life sentence,” increased morale, efficiency/productivity, noble engagement/funding; educated army results in better strategies and technology
what were the cons of milyutin’s reforms?
military technology still behind
what educational reforms did alexander II implement?
